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Unarmed Combat
The Old One-Two Punch Although armed combat has a lot of advantages over unarmed combat, one advantage to unarmed combat is that for the simplest and easiest attacks unarmed combatants are effectively considered ambidextrous. This means for any of the simple strikes (feint, block, punch, heavy hand punch, stun punch, pistol whip, elbow strike, and kick) it is possible to use both sides of the body equally well without any kind of additional training. This essentially means that any action can be treated as fighting with two weapons when fighting unarmed. In order to gain this benefit, the actions must be paired together on the same action column and each attack will have a -10 AV penalty. Only the the following actions can be paired together: feint, block, punch, heavy hand punch, stun punch, pistol whip, elbow strike, and kick. Any other attack from the unarmed combat table must be treated as its own independent action. *(1) Punch-Punch, (2) Punch-Punch: All attacks are on 2nd column with -10 AV penalty *(1) Punch-Punch, (2) Kick-Punch: All attacks are on 2nd column with -10 AV penalty *(1) Punch-Punch, (2) Grab, (3) Throw: All attacks are on 3rd column, only the first pair have a -10 AV penalty. *(1) Punch-Kick, (2) Cheap Shot, (3) Kick-Kick: All attacks are on 3rd column, the 1st and 3rd pair have a -10 AV penalty. Unarmed Attacks Against Armed Opponents Unarmed attackers must enter an opponent's defense perimeter in order to attack (see Approaching Defensive Perimeter. Armed opponents possessing a weapon that is at least 18" or longer are considered to have a weapon that is significantly longer, thus gaining a single free attack as the attacker enters the defense perimeter. Non-humanoid creatures with natural weapons are considered to have a longer weapon than unarmed humanoids. Grappling Grabbing ahold of an opponent or wrestling has long been a common method of fighting. It is an excellent way to subdue foes or limit their capabilities in combat. In order to start grappling with an opponent, the attacker must make a Grab/Hold or Tackle attack. Once a grapple is started, both opponents are considered to be grappling. The combatant that initiated the grapple is typically considered to be "in control" of the grapple. A grapple continues until both opponents choose to end the grapple or one of the two combatants breaks free. It is possible for an attacker to start a grapple and end a grapple in a single round as long as he maintained control of the grapple throughout the entire round. Freeing oneself of a grapple requires one of two checks: *Opposed STRENGTH check adjusted by SIZE *Opposed Brawling or Martial Arts check adjusted by SIZE and STR Multiple attackers can attempt to grapple a single target. Multiply the target's SIZE by 4 to determine the total SIZE points worth of creatures capable of grappling it effectively. Thus, a SIZE 10 creature can be effectively grappled by 4 other SIZE 10 creatures, or 8 SIZE 5 creatures. As long as a creature is SIZE 2 or larger, it is always possible for at least 2 attackers to attempt to grapple it. Spellcasters and psychics can attempt to cast spells while grappling, but must make a Concentration(100) test. If the spell requires that the character use components, the character must have them in his or her hand or be able to reach them. Any spell that takes longer than 1 round to cast is impossible to cast while being grappled. Controlling a Grapple When two combatants are involved in a grapple, it is important to know who is "in control" of the grapple. Some maneuvers can not performed unless the combatant has control. Control of a grapple can be established in one of the following ways: *As an attacker, the combatant just initiated the grapple by grabbing or tackling the other combatant. *As a defender, the combatant can take a single defensive action to wrestle control away before the attacker can perform any other maneuvers. This counts as a major action for the defender, but not for the attacker. *During the defender's turn, the combatant can take multiple defensive in order to wrest control of the grapple. The attempt automatically succeeds unless the attacker decides to maintain control. Each attempt to maintain control of the grapple counts as a major action against the attacker's next round of actions. Grappling and Defense Whenever a character is involved in a grapple, their defense rating may be affected. *''Controlling grappler'': Retains Agility based DR bonuses against attacks originating from outside the grapple. *''The non-controlling grappler'': Loses agility based DR bonuses against all attacks, inside of and outside of the grapple. *''Within the grapple'': Agility based bonuses to DR do not apply to any member of grapple defending against any other member of the grapple. The non-controlling member also loses any size based bonuses to defense rating (effectively a DR 50 without size or agility) Grappling and Surprise If an attacker manages to surprise an opponent with a successful grapple attack, the attacker gains immediate control of the grapple. Additionally, the surprised defender is considered to be a helpless bound opponent until the end of the attacker's round, but only with regards to melee attacks executed by the grappling attacker and only as long as the attacker maintains control of the grapple. The successful use of the Danger Sense HC will prevent the defender from being considered helpless or bound. Grappling and Called Shots Called shots within a grapple frequently require additional positioning on part of the attacker and defender. Without proper care called shots within a grapple can be very unbalancing within the game so care must be exercised when considering any scenario. In general the following rules and conditions must be in place to successfully pull off a called shot. *Except in rare instances, the attacker attempting the called shot must be in control of the grapple. *Some called shots may require additional wrestle maneuvers to position the attacker properly for the desired called shot. The difficulty of the wrestle maneuvers should typically be between 50% and 100% of the difficulty penalty associated with the standard called shot. **''Example A:'' Attempting to break a target's neck should that require the attacker move into a wrestle position that affords a good grip on the neck and head of the victim. If facing the defender the wrestle maneuver could reasonably require a -80 AV penalty, but if the attacker had an advantage such as already being behind the target or having pinned him on the ground the penalty could be as low as -40 AV. **''Example B:'' An attacker has pinned an opponent face first against a wall and wishes to do several called shots to the vitals (basically punching or stabbing the defender in the gut). To accomplish this a reasonably easy wrestle maneuver (-30 AV) could be applied to the wrestle attempt to force the victim into a good position to continue with the series of attacks. *The called shot difficulty can be reduced by half if the attacker is in a good position AND the attacker has been in control of the grapple from their first action during the round. Some situations lend themselves well to assumed called shots. If such situations arise it is perfectly acceptable to apply the results of a called shot without applying any penalties at all. Such situations are typically limited to striking attacks, such as head butts (typically as a called shot to the head), knee strikes (called shot to the vitals), and sometimes attacks such as elbow jabs. Basically if there is not really any other way to imagine the attack playing out except as a called shot it should be considered a no penalty called shot. The 150% Rule Many martial arts moves can not be performed on creatures that possess a STR or SIZ score that is 150% or higher than the character's own STR. These maneuvers are indicated as "150% rule" in the description. Unarmed Combat Maneuvers Shoot Handgun The attacker attempts to use a handgun in close melee (such as when wrestling with an opponent). The attack roll is made using the character's highest unarmed attack skill instead of their handgun skill. This attack attempt can actually be blocked or dodged, not to imply that the bullet itself is being blocked or dodged. Inertia Throw (150% rule) An inertia throw allows the defender to take the attacker's momentum and make a defensive throw maneuver. This move can be used as a counter to a charge, punch, kick, tackle or other similar maneuvers. No matter what the martial artist's initiative, an inertia throw takes place on the attacker's initiative at the same time as the attacker takes action. The attacker and defender roll opposed attack rolls to determine success. If the attacker is using a weapon, she gains a +20 AV bonus to her roll. The damage from Inertia Throw is armor bypassing because it is the impact with the ground or other objects that inflicts the damage. Hold Break A hold break is an attempt to break out of any type of hold or grapple. Refer to the rules description of grappling before the maneuver chart. Break (150% rule) (Control Required) A break attack requires that a grapple or hold be implemented first. Sometimes an opposed wrestle maneuver may be required to get a grip on a limb in order to get a called shot to a body part. This can only be used on enemies with bones or exoskeletons. This maneuver falls under the same rules as targeted called shots to body parts. Some limbs or body parts can only suffer so much damage towards the total number of hit points the creature has. This ability is an armor bypassing against flexible armor such as leather, chain, scale armor, and kevlar, but can not bypass natural damage absorbsion and absorbsion from inflexible armor types, such as plate mail or ceramic body armor. Cheap Shot A cheap shot is similar to a nerve punch but usually is targeted to the groin, neck, throat, sternum, nose, or other sensitive spot on a target. The target must roll an opposed FORT test against the attacker's STR or be stunned for one round. Most undead are immune to the effect of this attack. This attack usually only works on humanoid creatures. Choke Hold (150% rule) (Control Required) To start a choke hold, the attacker must first grapple the victim from behind. An opposed wrestle check may be required to position properly for the attack. A choke hold will gradually cause 1d4 unstaged LB damage every round that the victim is held. Each round, the victim must make an opposed FORT test against the attacker's Choke Hold attack roll. Every round that the victim is held in the choke-hold, the attacker gets to add +10 to their opposed check the next round. On the second round of asphyxiation and each subsequent round, the victim suffers a cumulative -10 AV stun/pain penalty to all actions to a maximum of -50 AV penalty. If the victim loses an opposed FORT roll, he goes unconscious for 1d6+1 rounds. Performing a choke hold is a full-round engrossing action. If a target is wearing suitable neck protection, this attack is impossible. Crushing Blow The attack is basically used against inanimate objects, such as bricks, boards, or doors. The amount of focus and prep time that is used before the actual attack makes it fairly useless against a moving opponent, but immobilized, prone, or stunned opponents may be targeted with the smaller difficulty value. If used in melee combat, this attack can only be performed once as the last action in a round. Elbow Strike An elbow strike is essencially a close range melee attack, frequently useful while in grapples. This maneuver can often be used while being grappled from behind without penalties. Haymaker The grand pubah of punches, this punch has a chance of knocking the target down if it hits. An opposed SIZ vs attacker's STR test must be made to determine if the target falls down. Only two haymakers can be thrown in any one round. Head butt An unconventional but moderately effective method of using one's head. Headbutts can often be used in grapples without any kind of penalty. Heavy Hand Punch This is a special and more refined technique used by most martial artists. It is simply more effective than a standard punch. High Round House Kick This impressive spinning kick has a possibility of knocking the defender down by striking high in the chest or head. An opposed STR vs SIZ test is required to determine if the attacker falls. Jump Kick Jump kicks have a good chance of knocking opponents down. An opposed attacker's STR or SIZE vs the target's SIZE check must be made to determine if the target is knocked down. A character can only perform maximum of one jump kick per round of combat. Knee Strike This is a useful close quarters attack and often can be used when caught in a grapple without penalty. Nerve Punch A nerve punch is targeted at nerve plexi with intent of knocking the victim out. If the attack hits, the victim must make an opposed FORT test verses the attacker's unarmed attack skill (separate roll). For every point of damage absorbsion the target possesses, including shoals, the target gains a +10 bonus to their FORT test results. If the target loses the opposed roll, he goes unconscious for 1d10 minutes. Smash (Control Required) This attack requires that a grapple or hold be in effect before the attack. Basically, damage is inflicted by smashing some part of the victim into a wall, rock, floor, fence or other solid object. The attacker may need to wrestle first to take control of the grapple before performing this maneuver. This ability is an armor bypassing against flexible armor such as leather, chain, and scale armor, but can not bypass natural damage absorbsion and absorbsion from inflexible armor types, such as plate mail. This attack can only be performed up to three times in a single round. Stun Punch (150% rule) Similar to the nerve punch, the stun punch is an attack that stuns the opponent by striking critical parts of the body. The victim must make an opposed FORT test against the attacker's unarmed attack skill (separate roll). For every point of damage absorbsion the target possesses, including shoals, the target gains a +5 bonus to their FORT test results. If the target loses the opposed roll, she is stunned for one full round. Sweep This relatively passive take-down maneuver attempts to knock the legs out from under the victim. The target must make a Dodge test verses the attacker's attack result or fall down. A sweep will only work on biped creatures that are less than twice the SIZE of the attacker. The damage from a sweep is armor bypassing because it is the impact with the ground or other objects that inflicts the damage. Tackle A successful tackle requires that the target make an opposed SIZ test versus the attacker's STR plus SIZ scores or be knocked down. If the defender is prepared for the tackle, he can also add in his STR score to the opposed roll. The attacker can choose to maintain an automatic grapple if the tackle is successful but no one is considered to be in control of the grapple. A successful tackle does not guarantee control of the subsequent grapple, which requires an additional wrestle check. If a tackle attempt is unsuccessful, the attacker falls to the ground. Throw (150% rule) (Control Required) This attack requires that the attack be in control of a grapple. The difficulty of the attack is equal to the SIZE AV of the defender (+20 for non-martial artists). To determine the maximum distance, in feet, that an individual can be thrown, roll 1d6, add the attacker's STR, and subtract the victim's SIZE. A result of 0 or less indicates the target was thrown down to the ground at the attackers feet. The damage from a Throw is armor bypassing because it is the impact with the ground or other objects that inflicts the damage. Torque Hold (150% rule) (Control Required) Torque holds require a successful grapple or grab attack first. Usually, the pain of a torque hold renders the victim helpless until the hold is released (-40 to all actions while held in a torque hold). A successful torque hold can be automatically turned into a successful Break attack at any time after the hold is successful. Touch of Death This is the most famous and deadliest unarmed attack of all, the touch of death. The attack, when successful will cause severe internal bleeding and hemorrhaging. Damage is staged by adding the 1/2 of the character's Martial Arts rank to the character's STR. This attack only works on humanoids. Most undead are immune to the effect of this attack. Ki-Strike The Ki-strike allows the warrior to actually damage things that are otherwise impervious to physical attack, such as incorporeal creatures like ghosts and phantoms. A Ki-strike can be used to enhance any unarmed attack except Grab/Hold, Inertia Throw, or any attack requires the combatants be grappling. Wrestle This maneuver is used to reposition oneself or an opponent during a grapple. Wrestling enables the character to break a pin, move into a grapple position behind an opponent, pin an opponent, trip an opponent, and other non-damaging maneuvers that focus on mobility within a grapple. When a grappled combatant declares he is trying to wrestle an opponent in a particular position, both combatants roll opposed wrestle checks. While wrestling, the character applies the adjustments for both STR and for SIZ.